In French patent application No. 8, 104, 270 of Mar. 4, 1981, entitled "A telescopic disconnector switch" and filed on the same day as the priority application of the present invention, the French Applicant describes a disconnector switch with telescopic components in which the movements of the disconnector switch (turning on by extending the components, turning off by retracting the components) are caused by means of a resilient rod associated with means to make it rigid when under compression.
The rod is stored on a drum whose direction of rotation causes the rod to wind or unwind, as the case may be.
Two conditions must be satisfied to provide proper operation of the disconnector switch: firstly, the path of the rod where it leaves the drum must remain practically linear, buckling being reduced to a minimum; and secondly the rod must still be guided between the point where it leaves the drum and the point where it enters the means which make it rigid.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a winding and unwinding apparatus which fulfills the above two conditions.